dot hack RO
by aromatic-grass
Summary: In the world of Ragnarok Online, strange things are happening. Strange things that would normally happen in the world of .hack. Viruses, Player Killers, Phases, and much more await you in this bizarre and suspenseful crossover that is .hackRO.
1. Segment 1: Login

The assassin wandered the forest, craving bloodshed. As always, she was alone. She needed no one to help her with her lust for power. No one spoke with her, except for the occasional trade. Most likely because she was intimidating, tall and clad in black, with purple spiky hair, and wearing a rare deviruchi hat, and that mask... the goblin mask that she always wore to conceal her identity. Her name was Seen.

She was quite famished from her journey. Then there... she saw it... an apple lying on the ground. She reached for the fruit... and was then distracted by a soft 'boing' sound, and before she knew it, the apple was gone. At her feet instead, sat a small, round, green creature known as poporing. How dare that creature eat her food! Seen unsheathed her blades. Another kill... just another number... what difference would it make? The poporing smiled at her dumbly. She raised her arm to strike, when the monster saw what was happening and began to cry. Seen lowered her blades. Oh, this made it hard. Even for digital data, meaningless clumps of pixels, Seen still felt pity for it. What kind of assassin was she? She kicked at the poporing. 'Get out of here!', she growled,'and don't tell anyone about this!' Just one slip-up. So, she missed a few exp. She didn't care.

Seen continued on her journey, and it wasn't long before she heard that sound again. She turned around to see that small creature once more. 'I told you to leave!', she cried,'what don't you understand about that?' The monster stay put. Seen gave up. She could find a poporing-free place to play in. She warped to the town of Prontera. Once in town, she kept to the alleyways, in order to avoid the crowd, which mostly consisted of merchants attempting to sell their cheap items for a bit of zeny. Pathetic. Who chose merchant as a job anyway? She had plenty of zeny. Everyone knew you could make much more killing lots of monsters...

While musing about merchants and zeny, she heard that sound once more. Now, she thought, I must be truly insane. This time, she would have no mercy. With a flash, her blade struck the poporing, only for it to bounce off. What was this? 'What do you think you are doing?', came a voice. Seen looked up to see an alcolyte. 'I think that I am killing this', replied Seen,'not that it's any of your business'. The alcolyte laughed. 'That won't do any good, seeing as it is your pet. What are you, a newbie or something?' Seen was glad to be wearing a mask, in the case that she was blushing. 'Of course not', she said,'I have been playing for over a year'. Which was true. She had only failed to read the rules and guides. Instead, she chose to learn along the way. 'I see', replied the alcolyte,'well, if you didn't know, if you are kind to a monster, it just might become your pet. And I believe that is what has happened here'. 'In that case', replied Seen,'you take it'. Seen did not need this. 'No', replied the alcolyte,'it has chosen you'. This was just great... now what was Seen to do? This monster would only slow her down on her journeys. 'What shall you name it?', asked the alcolyte. 'Pet', replied Seen. The alcolyte laughed once again. 'That's not a name. Why not Guardian? It will help protect you'. 'I do not need to be protected. I could kill you anytime I wanted', scowled Seen. 'But there is no PKing allowed... unless you want to PVP', replied the alcolyte. 'No thanks', said Seen,'I have better things to do'.

The player logged out. This game tired her. Something frustrating like this always happened. The player clicked the mail icon on her desktop. One new mail... she clicked it. How strange... the subject was 'Plese Hel? 3e I/s :e &ave' from an 'auraaura221.117.63.181'... why was their email address at an IP? The player scanned down the page to read the message:

Wandering the resurrected Dawn is: Slaik, The Crude Suspicion, to flood all that once was long ago. Phantasm of Deception, Encha, Liberate all with the glitched images, and did salvation of the Reborn Wave. With the power invested The Justification of Relvic, a trace hits heavens gate shattering, and writes anew Wave.

What... was this? 


	2. Segment 2: Wave

Username: Seen Password:  
Login OK Loading...

Seen was now back in Prontera, with her new... er... friend. Thing. She decided to go fight some more monsters in order to get stronger. And, so, she warped to a random dungeon, a high level one at that. She navigated through the darkness, seeking whatever creatures awaited her. Suddenly, she was struck from behind by a broom. She whirled around to see a maid-like, demi-human creature, Alice. Shaken, but not too much so to fight, she unsheathed her blades and lunged at the creature, which held off her attack with the broom handle. 'Heh!', cried Seen, drawing back one blade. She quickly stabbed the creature in the shoulder, and was recoiled by the broom once more. All of a sudden, a low-pitched sound rung throughout the dungeon, echoing off the walls until it hurt Seen's ears. Everything around her began to waver back and forth and she could no longer move quickly. The sound became deafening. Seen dropped to her knees as she was beaten by the monster, with each hit taking away two, three, four times the normal attack of an Alice. Finally, down to her last five HP, she was struck once more and defeated. Seen fell. Everything became hazy in a way that had never happened before when she had gotten a Game Over. The player herself felt dizzy and strange in her seat. And there was still that noise - vibrating everywhere, filling the whole room, not just in the dungeon, but outside, in the real world. The player dropped the controller. This was enough. She beat at the computer screen. It would not stop, and she felt worse every second. A bit of blood trickled from her nose. Abruptly, the game no longer showed on the screen. Everything became static. The sound ceased. Now the only thing the player could hear was the gentle humming of her computer. She peered closer at the computer screen. Within the static were words, flashing, barely visible: Au ,h&lp... The player leaned closer to the monitor... and without warning, a hand reached from the screen, grasping, clawing. Shocked, the player fell out of her chair and backed up on the floor. The hand was gone, as if it had never been there before. Had she imagined it?

Critical Error Logging Out... 


	3. Segment 3: Desire

Somehow, the player got up the courage to go back to the game. After all, it had been late at night when those events had happened... perhaps she had been dreaming them? Still... she had to force away the thoughts that told her that it had been very very real.

Before logging on, she had one new mail, this one from xAurax221.117.63.181. The subject was Sh# s )ot re$l. The player read the message:

Th# Au -ou av# sp?k#n \o i5 (ot re$l.  
Pl#as# tak: hd f my w2rnin\.

How very strange, thought the player. Still, she wanted only to play.

When Seen logged in, she was back in Prontera. She looked around, to see no one. For the first time ever, she was the only one on the entire game. And she liked it. She began to warp to an area when something stopped her. The warp did not seem to work. A voice came from the heavens... 'My child', it spoke,'welcome to your world. You may have anything within this realm that your heart desires. Only if it is to yourself. You must stay away from other players at all costs.' Seen wondered if this was a special event, trying her. Still, the greedy assasin only wanted one thing. 'I must get stronger...', she spoke. 'As you wish', replied the voice,'and remember, Seen, I will help you in any way possible. I only want you to have what you desire'. 'Who are you?', questioned Seen,'where are you?' 'I am... Adria. I am everywhere and nowhere, but I shall be there when I am needed, and I see that you need me. Farewell, for I must leave now'. 'Wait!', cried Seen,'what about...' 'Test your abilities', replied Adria,'you have all you need. Oh and remember...' 'Yes?', questioned Seen. 'Do not trust Aura Aura. She lies. Farewell...' And in a bright flash of light, the typical crowd quite abruptly appeared. And all was quiet in the heavens. 


	4. Segment 4: Ally

Player data:

/Zea Gender: Female Job: Monk Level: 96

/Netis Gender: Male Job: Knight Level: 52

/Siegmund Gender: Male Job: Swordman Level: 33

/Aures Gender: Female Job: Mage Level: 26

/Drado Gender: Male Job: Archer Level: 30

/Psakya Gender: Female Job: Merchant Level: 41

/Lelu Gender: Female Job: Novice Level: 12 More: Pet - Yoyo - 'Muffin'

/Genis Gender: Male Job: Thief Level: 49

/Grey Gender: Male Job: Hunter Level: 64

/Dawn Gender: Female Job: Dancer Level: 70

:End Player Data Read:

Three players wandered deep within the Culverts. 'Eeewww... I don't like it down here!', cried Lelu,'it's dark and creepy!' She squeezed her pet tight, the monkey struggling to get loose. 'Calm down', said Aures,'it's only a game. Besides, you said you wanted to level up.' 'I know, but... not here!',replied Lelu,'Maybe in the forest with all those cute porings!' 'Lelu, you refused to kill the porings because you said they were too cute',spoke Psakya, shaking her head,'you are a sad case...' 'Now, Psakya', warned Aures,'she is only a novice. We promised to help the novices, remember?' 'Sure', replied Psakya,'as long as there are some valuable items down here, I'm fine with it'. 'Kyaaaa!', screamed Lelu. Aures and Psakya whirled around to see what was wrong. The roachlike monster, theif bug, was attacking Lelu. The novice stabbed blindly with her knife in the air around the monster. Suddenly, she fell over, dead. 'Lelu!', cried Aures, rushing over to the novice's side. Psakya took out her axe and chopped at the theif bug, killing it in one hit. The monster screeched and faded away. Lelu sat up and sweatdropped. 'Sorry...', she spoke, embarressed,'I saw that I wasn't going to beat that bug so i played dead. Forgive me...' 'It's allright, Lelu', spoke Aures,'at least you tried'. 'And at least i got some items! Hehehe...', Psakya said, picking up the shining items that the theif bug had left behind.

'Come on, Grey, we can beat this thing!', cried Dawn, slashing at the carats with her clawed weapon. 'Go for the boss!', she shouted,'I'll take care of these minions!' Grey shouted as he dove his sword into the archangeling. 'Hey, I think I got it!', he said. The archangeling surrounded itself in a glowing light, healing itself. 'Oh great...', sighed Grey. 'Here, let me help you!', offered Dawn, rushing to Grey's side. With lightning fast speed, she clawed at the monster until poring jelly flew everywhere. It faded away. Grey looked stunned. 'But what about the-', he started. Dawn directed a thumb behind her, pointing toward all the fading clown-like bodies. 'Kill the master, kill the slaves', she spoke,'don't act like such a newbie, Grey'.

Meanwhile, in Payon, three male players were sitting and talking. 'I got one of those weird emails too', spoke Genis. 'What did yours say?', questioned Siegmund curiously. 'Well it was kinda short', replied Genis,'it said something about a cursed Wave or something'. 'Was it from the Aura Aura person?', asked Drado. 'Yes, it was', replied Genis. 'Excuse me', came a voice. The players looked up to see a knight. 'I should like to know what your emails said'. 'Who are you?', asked Siegmund,'and why do you need to know?'. 'I am called Netis', replied the knight,'and I must know because I have received a strange email as well'. 'Well what'd it say?', asked Genis. 'I should like to tell you,' replied Netis,'if you would tell me what yours said'. And so, the four agreed to forward the emails to each other.

The male player sipped his coffee. He had been awake all night balancing both playing his Ragnarok addiction and attempting to figure out what the strange email had meant. Finally, an alert appeared on the screen that he had received three new mails. Eager, he read them:

Fwd auraaura221.117.63.181 Subject: Plese Hel? 3e I/s :e &ave Unknown where the cursed Wave was reborn.. The bright in the eastern town doth cease, And a sign of the wave reappears

Fwd auraaura221.117.63.181 Subject: Plese Hel? 3e I/s :e &ave Helba's sucessor, Dark Queen Adria, daughter of Cubia, Ignores pleas of help from the Council of Light, rebel sucessors of Apeiron. Adria, renewer of the Wave, doth flee to the land of the corrupt and, Where she plots, rebuilds her army.

Fwd auraaura221.117.63.181 Subject: Plese Hel? 3e I/s :e &ave The first sign of the wave surfaces, the Twilight Door, entrance to the Land of the Corrupt, Shines with false hope in the deepest chamber of February. Soon to follow, Kirere, disguised as Zea, leads the Chosen Few into the Fake. Zea reports to Adria, pleased with her information. Kirere is confronted by the Chosen Few, whom doth question the demon, upon realization of the Mirage of Deciet, Innis.

He once again scanned over his own email that he had received earlier:

From: auraaura221.117.63.181 Subject: Plese Hel? 3e I/s :e &ave The Chosen Few quest for the Twilight Door, Lelu ends her journey here, And leaves the Chosen. Upon Arrival, the Twilight Door doth swing open, Promisingly, but Aures doth realize the dangers.

...But what did it all mean? 


	5. Segment 5: Dream

'We at the Council of Light believe that you have hacked your player information', stated the blonde, winged player. The rest of the council, their faces hidden in the hoods of their long white robes that they all wore, muttered in agreement. 'For this', he continued,'you shall be punished'. 'Agreed!', came the chorus of council members. The blonde player raised his arm in the air, then brought it down, his open palm facing Seen, the arm encircled in glowing green and blue light. 'Wait!', Seen spoke, backing up a few steps,'what are you-' 'It will all be over in a second', smirked the council leader. A burst of light shot forth from the player's palm, just about to hit Seen...

The player sat up in her bed and breathed heavily. It had only been a dream... hadn't it? She could not rest.

Seen logged in to Prontera. It was night, so there were only a few players on. A novice walked up to her. 'Hi, can you help me?', he asked. 'No', replied Seen. 'Please?', he begged. 'No', Seen replied once again. 'Pretty please? I just need a little help-', he began. Without thinking, Seen lashed out at the novice, slicing his throat with one katar. He fell over, dead. But... how? Player Killing is not an option outside of PVP. Unless... this 'Adria' was right. She had somehow made Seen stronger. Able to break the rules. Seen liked this very much. This was indeed the ultimate power she had been seeking. And so, that night, Seen ran about the town, killing innocent players; Guardian following the whole time, having no idea that its master was a now player to fear.

The same alcolyte from the other day walked up to Seen. 'Good job', she spoke,'you're a real assassin now. Those players were no problem, were they?' 'Would you like me to show you how I defeated them?', asked Seen slyly. 'No thanks', replied the alcolyte,'by the way you can call me Kirere. I have the feeling we will meet again. See you later!' And Kirere warped out, without giving Seen a chance to claim another victim. 


	6. Segment 6: Search

Ragnarok BBS Online

Subject: Player Killer?  
Author: Crimson Whoa did anyone see what happened last night? There was a player running around killing everyone in Prontera! She was wearing a goblin mask and a deviruchi hat... a sin, i believe. I thought player killing was impossible outside PVP... unless it was a glitch or something?

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Barda Well I heard of it. I wasn't actually there, but I assume it was a doppleganger.

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Tera A doppleganger wouldn't be in Prontera.

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: novice5435 i got killed :(

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Grey Not to get off topic but... has anyone getting weird emails? It might have something to do with it.

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Aures I got one... would you like me to post it?

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Grey Better yet, meet me in Prontera.

Re: Player Killer?  
Author: Aures OK... I'm a mage... see you there!

Aures warped in to Prontera. She wanted to meet this Grey fellow. A hunter and a dancer walked up to her. 'Hello', said the hunter,'Are you Aures?' 'Yes I am', replied Aures,'and you must be Grey'. 'That I am', he replied,'and this is Dawn'. He directed a hand toward the dancer. 'Nice to meet you', spoke Aures',anyway, what did your email say?' 'It was from an Aura Aura', replied Grey,'and the subject was in gibberish. But I'll read the email:'

'The buffeted girl indeed returns to the Eastern Town, bringing with her the third drop of the dark Wave, which shadows the land forever more. Netis and Siegmund doth brace for the Wave, Casting shadows across the cotoured Moon, And the pair doth realize the sixth month of the fifth year, Corbenik is to arrive.'

'Well?', asked Grey. 'I don't get it', said Aures. 'Oh, I almost forgot, I got an email too', spoke Dawn,'but it was rather short'. 'Read it anyway', said Aures. Dawn read:

'The third phase doth vanish, the Chosen remain safe.'

'Hmm...',mused Grey,'well what did yours say, Aures?' 'Mine... had my name in it... it makes me kinda worry',she said, and read:

'The gate point stretches to the sky, Indicating a haughtycreature of large stature, whom exclaims, "Defeat it, you cannot! No matter how you try.. all unless Aures slays Adria, or she herself is slain. Neither can live, unless the other dies."'

'And we all agree it was from an Aura Aura?',asked Aures. 'Yes...',replied Grey. 'In that case, we must find this Aura Aura... perhaps she is a player on here', suggested Aures. 'Maybe...',started Dawn. 'Yes?', asked Grey. 'I will check the player list', spoke Dawn. And so, the three began on the search for Aura Aura. 


	7. Segment 7: Deception

From: xAurax221.117.63.181 Subject: Hel?  
f$(d zea 50(

The player searched the player data records. Zea... who is that? Finally, she saw it. Apparantly, Zea has not been on the game for about a year...

Seen logged in and was abruptly pulled to a side alley. 'There you are!' It was Kirere. 'What do you think you are doing, do you want to be seen?' 'I am Seen', Seen replied confusedly. 'What an ironic name for an assasin', commented Kirere,'at any rate, you caused quite a stir-up last night. It was all over the BBS. People have been looking for you. And you'd better not get caught, seeing as it could lead to a ban, hacking your data like that...' 'But I didn't hack my data', protested Seen,'it just happened like that'. 'If you say so', spoke Kirere,'hey, why not party with me?' 'If you think you can get a stronger player on your side like that, you're wrong', spoke Seen,'anyway, I'm looking for someone'. 'And who would that be?', asked Kirere. 'Her name is Zea', replied Seen. 'Oh', spoke Kirere,'that is the player that got really strong and then quit. She hasn't been here in a long time.' 'I see', spoke Seen,'well, later'. And Seen warped out. 'Zea...', whispered Kirere. Her avatar rippled, her clothes changing from the brown alcolyte ones to a long, purple robe; her hair grew out long and flowing, opposed to previously short and plain. She stepped out into town.

Ragnarok BBS Online

Subject: Zea!  
Author: Reina I saw her! The player I heard about, Zea! She's back in black... er... purple! This is so exciting :))

Re: Zea!  
Author: Barda Why do I never see these things? I'm starting to believe it's all a hoax.

Re: Zea!  
Author: Ruiko It's certainly not made up, I saw her myself! Hm... I think I should start a Zea fan club!

Re: Zea!  
Author: Rust I would join ;)

Re: Zea!  
Author: Lelu I'm just a newbie but... don't you think all these things happening have been kind of strange? The PK, Zea, the emails...

Re: Zea!  
Author: Tsu What emails?

Re: Zea!  
Author: Xeon I didn't get any emails either... but I bet Zea could take on that PK :) 


	8. Segment 8: Chase

From: xAurax221.117.63.181 Subject: Ph2s# on 1s b#g1nn1ng.  
1 w2tch yXu 2ll #v#ry d2y..d1d yXu knXw th2t? 1 dX st1ll w2tch Xv#r yXu 1n /y Xwn w2y.

Dawn ran from her pursuer. It was a monster unlike any she had ever seen before and it was very powerful... more powerful than any MVP she had ever faced. Her only choice was to flee. She saw a wall and stopped. Dead end for her. She braced for the attack.

'So what did yours say, Lelu?' asked Psakya. 'It said'  
'The beasts warning doth strike fear in Aures, Siegmund, Netis, Dawn, Psakya, Drado, vow to assist'  
'And yours?' 'Mine said'  
'The Chosen Few, Netis, Siegmund, Aures, Drado, Psakya, Lelu, Genis, Grey, Dawn, selected not only by the Council of Light, but Fate and Destiny as well, begin the trek south'  
'... I have the feeling we have to find these players'.

Seen had slain the baphomet in one hit, and she wanted more. Her levels were now beyond the maximum, and her greed grew with her power. And still, Guardian watched with delight.

Grey warped in to the castle, after getting a message for help from Dawn. But it was too late. Dawn was no longer there. He had failed her.

The monk, Zea, logged in to Prontera, her robes swirling aroud her. Satisfied at being on this game that she had played for so long, and missed for so long, she smiled. She was finally back. 


	9. Segment 9: Sleep

ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to circumstances beyond our control, players may experience difficulties with the server, including: graphics issues, inability to log on, severe lag, and general server instability. We are trying to repair the problems now. Thank you for playing.

All the avatars glitched and flickered. Still, Lelu and Psakya journeyed onward, seeking the Chosen Few. 'Did you post on the BBS?', questioned Lelu. 'What, and make people think I'm crazy?', replied Psakya,'if i said i was looking for a bunch of random players because of some weird email, no one would speak to me again'. 'I guess you have a point', said Lelu. At that moment, Aures ran up to the two. 'Hey!', she said,'we have to find this player, Dawn'. 'We are looking for certain players already...', replied Psakya. Aures shook her head. 'It seems that this Dawn has not been heard from since an encounter with a certain monster. And she had received one of the emails. What if other players start to go missing...' 'Dawn is probably just taking a break from here', replied Lelu,'after all it IS just a game'.

'Seen, I should like to show you something', spoke Adria,'I have a special place just for us. But you cannot tell anyone about it.' 'If you say so...',replied Seen. 'Good girl', spoke Adria,'now step into the portal'. At that moment, a beam of blackish light shot from the sky and spread across the ground, forming a portal. Seen, as well as Guardian, stepped inside the light.

'Welcome to Einbroch, Seen', spoke the alcolyte, Kirere. 'But... I thought this place was only for me and-', began Seen. Adria spoke,'Kirere is a friend, Seen. She is allowed here, too'. 'I see...', said Seen. She looked at her surroundings. It was a town like no other, completely run down, everything broken, corrupted. And Seen saw something floating, several meters in the sky. 'What is that?', asked Seen. 'Go and see', replied Adria. So, she did.

It was a female player, suspended in the air, her arms spread, crucifix-like. She was asleep... or so it seemed. 'What... is this?', asked Seen, astonished. 'A player', replied Adria,'who got in too deep for her own good. She wanted too much information. I had to put a stop to that'. '...Is she dead?', asked Seen. 'No', replied Adria,'only sleeping for now'.

In the real world, at this moment, a girl is sleeping. Sleeping so deeply that she cannot see, hear, or feel the outside. 


	10. Segment 10: Silence

Ragnarok News

A girl was found unconcious at her computer yesterday. Coincidentally, the game 'Ragnarok Online' was on her screen when she was found. It is unknown whether the game and her condition are linked. Currently, she is in a comatose state at a local hospital. The girl's name has not been released.

Within that place which is everywhere and nowhere... the Aura of Light and the Aura of Dark discussed their fate... 'Aura, I only want to help you', spoke Light Aura,'please let me'. 'No', spoke Dark Aura, who sat on the ground, head buried in her knees,'you don't understand ME. You don't understand what I want. And unless you understand that, I'm afraid you cannot help me'. 'What is it that I need to understand, dear Aura?', questioned Light Aura. 'My mother wanted to know the meaning of the perfect death', spoke Dark Aura,'I want to know the meaning of the perfect life. And for an AIDA such as myself, what life is there? Especially when there is another one who tries to take my place in this lonely world'. At this, the Dark Aura, looked up and glared at the Light Aura. 'I am not trying to take your place', she protested. At this, she reached out to touch the other, but was recoiled by a powerful slap on her cheek. Taken aback, she stepped away from Dark Aura and faded away as if she was never there.

Grey sat on the castle floor, not moving, not speaking. His only love was gone. 


	11. Segment 11: Conflict

From: xAurax221.117.63.181 Subject: Ph2s# TwX 1s b#g1nn1ng..

1 2/ b#cX/1ng sc2r#d../Xr# 2nd /Xr# ar# lXs1ng hXp# 1n /# #v#ry d2y.

Seen sat, petting Guardian. Kirere walked up to her. 'Is something wrong?', she questioned. 'I was just thinking', spoke Seen. 'About?', asked Kirere. 'Well...', replied Seen,'that girl, the sleeping one... she's a real person, like me. What if that was me? After all, this is just a game and it shouldn't start affecting people like this. I mean... I don't usually care about people but maybe I should start. I have spent my life ignoring and hurting them, when really I only did that because that is how I am treated in real life. But maybe if i am kinder, things will go better. So what i'm really trying to say is-' Seen was interrupted by a scream. It was Adria. 'How did they get in Einbroch? It must be THEM! The Chosen Ones! Encha, go forth!' Out of the air, materialized a creature, female in appearance. Below her, were the four intruders, all male players. The creature, Encha, raised her one arm and in her hand appeared a dark spear. Armed with their weapons, a sword, a mace, a dagger, and a bow, they proceeded to fight the monster. But, no one could seem to hit her. With ease, she stabbed each one of them with the spear. The four players writhed and cried in agony. 'No...', spoke Seen,'I can't let this happen... I won't allow it! Adria, call it off!' 'I shall not', replied Adria,'they must learn to pay the consequences if they are going to meddle in our affairs'. 'NO!', cried Seen,'I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!' At this, she ran into the battle scene and fought the monster with all her might, which was easier for her, having the power given by Adria. But at one moment, Encha dropped her spear, and raised her arm once more. This time, when she brought her arm down, green and blue lights encircled her wrist. It was just as Seen saw in her dream. A powerful blast of light shot from Enchas hand, and Seen rolled out of the way. But the drain had not missed a target. Because, its target had been Guardian. 


	12. Segment 12: Rebirth

Zea rushed past all the glitched players, who continued talking like nothing was wrong. But, Zea could tell that something was very wrong. In her hurry, she bumped into a player; a solid, normal player. 'Sorry...', she began and saw that the player was not glitched. 'It's allright', replied the player,'haven't I seen you somewhere?' 'I'm Zea', spoke Zea,'you may have heard of me. By the way, why is your avatar not glitched?' 'I'm not sure', replied the player,'oh and I'm Lelu. Anyway, my friends' avatars aren't glitched, either'. 'May I see your friends?',questioned Zea. 'Certainly', replied Lelu,'I just sent them a message-' At that moment, a low-pitched sound echoed about the town, and the air begain to waver. The chatter of the other players ceased, and they turned to face the two girls. At once, they began to march toward them.

'Encha, that's enough!', cried Adria, and the monster dissolved into the air from whence it came. Seen wept at the sunken blob which had once been her pet. She never really liked the thing, but she didn't want it to die. 'Do you understand what I told you, Seen?', asked Adria,'I told you not to interfere with us. But you did, and now you must pay the price'. Kirere reached over to comfort Seen, but Seen shoved her hand away. 'Please, Adria... give me one last chance', pleaded Seen. 'Perhaps I will... I have one more gift for you, Seen', spoke Adria. At this, flecks of light floated from the sky and drifted onto the limp monster's body. At once, the blob transformed into a barbell-shaped creature, with a ring in its center, black-colored with silver tints, and either end having a set of sharp teeth. This was now Seen's Guardian.

The four players were awakened by a bright light. Before them, floated a girl in white. 'Greetings', spoke the girl,'I am called Aura Aura. Your encounter with the phases was close, you could have ended up like Dawn'. 'Are we... dead?', asked Drado, nervously. 'Not dead', replied Aura Aura,'you are in my domain. No harm shall come to you. For now, you must return to the game. You are needed there. And, Genis...' She raised one arm, and in her hand appeared a silver necklace, with a red, cross-shaped charm on it. She floated over to Genis and placed the necklace in his hand, and closed his fingers over it. 'Please give this to Zea. Only she can unlock the power of the Drain Soul. Farewell...' And with a bright flash of light, the four were in Prontera. 


	13. Segment 13: Unison

Aures' and Psakya's footsteps pounded upon the ground. While attempting to return to Prontera, they had come across a pack of wolves. 'Can't you warp, Aures?', asked Psakya. 'I could but we're kind of busy here. Run faster!', replied Aures. 'But my cart...',Psakya said, nodding toward her cart, which was overflowing with items. 'Ugh, just leave it here!', cried Aures. 'I can't!', said Psakya,'I neeeed my stuff!' 'There's the warp!', cried Aures. And it certainly was there. The two ran into the warp, disappearing, leaving the wolves confused.

Lelu and Zea were surrounded. The glitched players far outnumbered them. 'W-what are we going to do?', stuttered Lelu. 'Leave it to me', replied Zea. Zea grabbed her staff and tapped it on the ground, a bright ring of archaic symbols surrounding the staff. She then held it in the air, chanting a spell, and fire shot from the end of her staff, hitting several of the glitched players. The players wavered, but proceeded to walk toward them. They hadn't even been damaged. 'Grr...',mumbled Zea,'now what are we suppose to do?' 'Hold it!', cried a voice. The two saw four more players emerge. 'We're here, too!' cried more voices. And two more players emerged. All the players rushed in with their weapons and fought the glitched players with all the power of their attacks and spells. But to no avail. 'They're too strong', muttered Genis,'we can't even touch them. Wait...' And he pulled the necklace out of his pocket. 'Zea, catch!', he cried, and the necklace flew into the air. 


	14. Segment 14: Uncertainty

The glitched players dove toward the necklace. Now that they were under Adria's spell, they would do anything to keep the Dawn Necklace from Zea. The necklace landed squarely in the fountain, and was then picked up by Lelu. However, the glitched players were not finished yet. They raced toward Lelu and attacked her, causing her to drop the necklace. This time, however, Zea dove in, grabbed the necklace, and put it on. She clutched it tightly and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated Zea. The light shot into the sky and rained down upon the glitched players. The players, all glowing, began to change to normal. By the power of the Drain Soul, the spell was broken.

Adria's screams became more loud and horrible. Now that the ten players were together, and with such power, other forces would be undefeatable. Unless...

'What does Adria want?', questioned Seen. 'She wants... would you like me to tell you the truth?', asked Kirere. 'Of course', replied Seen. 'She originally wanted only good for this world. But now she only wants to destroy it. I shouldn't have told you... I said too much', spoke Kirere. 'Why does she want Dawn?', asked Seen. 'I... don't exactly know', replied Kirere. 'Tell me everything you know', spoke Seen. 'All I know is... the Chosen Few have the power to either help or destroy this world. However, they only want to help, and Adria does not like that', explained Kirere,'and now, Adria is building some sort of army to stop them. I should help her, but, I don't know whose side I'm suppose to be on. I don't even know my purpose... I don't know... I just don't know...' And Kirere shed a single tear. 


	15. Segment 15: Exposition

'We need to know, Zea, what did your email say?', asked Aures. Zea replied, 'Well... it said:'

'Adria, skilled in magic of lightning, begins subtle attacks on Netis, Aures, Siegmund, and Dawn, but to no avail; the group together overpowers the Queen of Dark.'

'...Who is Adria? And what do we have to do with all this?', asked Netis. 'I don't know', replied Zea,'but I have the feeling that there is a lot more to all this than we think'. 'Well now that we are together', spoke Lelu,'we just need-' Lelu was interrupted by screams of the surrounding players. A strange barbell-shaped creature was attacking them. A masked player warped in. 'Hey!', cried Drado,'that's the player that saved us in Einbroch!' 'Stop!', cried Seen,'please stop, it's not right!'. The monster obeideintly turned toward Seen and floated in her direction. Then both Seen and the monster warped out, as if they had never been there.

The player sat, staring at the monitor, analyzing her portion of the epitaph. Everything was mentioned in it, everything was right here. Dawn... Slaik, who had captured Dawn... Encha was in here too... the glitched images, yes, she had heard of that... and... Relvic? Who was that? She felt that she had yet to find out... 


	16. Segment 16: Castle

From: xAurax221.117.63.181 Subject: Ph2s# T$r& 1s b#g1nn1ng.  
1 dX nXt w2nt th# WXrld 1 c2r# sX /uch fXr tX b# d#strXyed. Pl#2s.  
YXu /ust stXp 1t.

The Dark Aura sat on the floor, head buried in knees, mumbling, 'Why am i here... why was I chosen... why... WHY?'

'Kirere...', spoke Adria,'You are to disguise yourself once more as Zea, as to learn everything about the chosen few that you can'. 'Yes, mother...', replied Kirere, displeased.

The Light Aura had appeared unto the chosen few that were together. She spoke,'you must help Dawn. Only when the chosen few are together, can you overpower the darkness. Please save Grey from falling farther into the darkness. You must go into the eastern guild castle, all of you. Please, hurry'. And she was gone.

The Dark Aura's head lifted up. 'Where are they going?', she asked herself. Then she saw it. Grey in the castle, not moving, not speaking. In a flash, she vanished.

In a hurry, the chosen few that were together, warped to the castle. They stepped inside, and made their way down a long corridor. Before long, they were approached by a large, stone-like monster. Netis charged at the monster with his sword, but it wasn't even touched. Not even Zea's spells could defeat it. The monster then rushed toward the players and bit at them with its terrible jaws, eat hit taking away a large chunk of their HP. As the players were sprawled on the ground, trying to recover from their wounds, Zea still stood, holding out her wand. The monster then made its way toward Zea. Zea, who was far out of spells, futily stabbed and swatted at the monster with her staff. She barely managed to touch it. The monster, having enough of fighting with Zea, made its final move. The familiar blue and green rings whirled in the air before the monster, then a powerful beam of light shot out and struck Zea. Zea fell, her character turning grey. She faded away. 


	17. Segment 17: Return

NOTICE

A mysterious player by the name of Seen has been sighted several times recently. This player can be described as a female Assassin Cross with black-dyed clothing, short, purple hair, and wearing a goblini mask and a deviruchi hat. She is a hacker who has performed several illegal acts such as modifying player data and pet data, player killing in a non-PVP zone, and breaching off-limit areas. At this time, we cannot capture and ban this player, but we can assure you that we shall take action as soon as possible. In the meantime, if any player sees this Seen, report her immediately to a GM. Thank you for playing Ragnarok.

Kirere, as Zea, warped into the castle. Yes, this was her chance. She saw the fallen few, all unconcious, all of whom by now had been defeated by Relvic, who was nowhere to be seen. Kirere raised her staff high and shouted a resurrection spell, bringing them all back to life. 'Wha-what happened, Zea?', stammered Aures. 'There was a monster too powerful for any of you', replied Kirere,'I took care of it. Now... er... where were we going?' 'To find Grey', replied Lelu, seriously. 'Right', said Kirere. And so, they wandered onward, in the search for their missing friend.

The player sat at her computer, staring at the monitor. She felt that she had no purpose to return to the game. She knew that she had done too much, seen too much, and there was nothing left. However, when not on the game, she was tormented by a small voice, whispering 'come back... please come back...' She only had two choices left: play dangerously and get caught,or side with Adria and end the game once and for all. She chose the latter.

'Wake up... please wake up...', pleaded the Dark Aura. But Grey would not wake. He sat there, staring ahead, eyes open and mouth closed as if dead. The Dark Aura wept. Eight players approached them. 'What are you doing?', demanded Netis. 'He will not wake', she sobbed,'he will not wake...' At this, she faded away. Aures shouted a healing spell, but it had no effect on Grey. The players screamed and pleaded but there was still no response. Could he have left his character here? If so... where was he, in the real world? Finally, he spoke. One word to answer it all. '...Dawn'. 


	18. Segment 18: Judgment

Seen logged in. It felt so strange now... she had to watch everywhere so that she didn't get caught. She warped to Einbroch.

'You have returned, my child', spoke Adria. 'Yes, I have', replied Seen. 'Why is that?', questioned Adria. 'I have my reasons...', said Seen.

'We must return to Einbroch!', cried Netis, 'that is where Dawn is being held'. And so, the eight warped. But they could not. Einbroch was now sealed off. What were they to do?

The Light Aura had faded in to Einbroch. Being an AIDA, she had free access to the world. 'You must stop this, Adria', she pleaded,'please'. 'I shall not', Adria simply replied. Adria had already built up her army. The time was near. Neither Aura, Light nor Dark, could stop her.

Lelu sat upon the ground, knees tucked under her chin. 'I'm sorry', she spoke,'I cannot do this anymore'. She logged out. 


	19. Segment 19: Finale

From: auraaura221.117.63.181 Subject: .  
Please come to Prontera Church. Everything will be solved there. Hurry!

The eight players warped in to Prontera, in front of the church. They hesitated to go inside. Everything about the town was getting worse; the sky was dark, the NPCs were broken, and data fragments floated around freely. Two figures appeared before them, Auras, Dark and Light. They clasped hands. 'I shall not be the only Aura', spoke the Dark Aura. 'And I shall not be able to save this world', spoke the Light Aura. 'But', they spoke together,'you must fulfill this prophecy!' 'I have been sending you each fragments of the Epitaph of Dawn', spoke the Light Aura,'once the final fragment is known, fate will be decided for all of us'. 'And so', spoke the Dark Aura,'it is time! let the truth be known!'. At this, they spoke, alternating lines:

'A month of calm will follow, the fourth month, of the fifth year, And when the Few doth believe they have destroyed the Wave Reborn, the Omen that is Corbenik shall appear in the sixth month.'

And, Kirere as Zea became her true form. Not an alcolyte, not a player, a terrible monster, similar to her sucessor, Innis.

Seen warped directly into the church. Once inside, she knew that something was not right. Everything was pitch black. Then she saw it. Shadows, shapes moving toward her. Quickly, she summoned Guardian. The creature lashed out at these characters, biting at them, bashing into them. But these players could not be harmed. For they were Adria's army.

Player data:

/Kite Job: Assasin Cross Level: 255

/Blackrose Job: Sniper Level: 255

/Orca Job: MasterSmith Level: 255

/Balmung Job: Paladin Level: 255

/Elk Job: High Wizard Level: 255

/Mia Job: Gypsy Level: 255

/Mistral Job: Minstrel Level: 255

/Tsukasa Job: High Wizard Level: 255

/Subaru Job: High Priest Level: 255

/Mimiru Job: Sniper Level: 255

/Sora Job: Stalker Level: 255

/Bear Job: MasterSmith Level: 255

/B.T.  
Job: Scholar Level: 255

/Crim Job: Champion Level: 255

/Ginkan Job: Lord Knight Level: 255

/A-20 Job: Super Novice Level: 255

:End Player Data Read:

Within the castle, the two Auras discussed Grey. 'We must work together, if we are to awaken him', spoke Light Aura. 'Yes', replied Dark Aura,'but only if you can accept that you cannot save this world... alone...'. 'I accept that', spoke the Light Aura,'but do you accept that you cannot be the only Aura?'. 'I believe I can accept that', spoke the Dark Aura,'because we must work together'. 'That is correct', replied the Light Aura. At this, they embraced one another, creating a light so bright, that no mortal eye could look at them. They were one. They were the Grey Aura. The Grey Aura leaned down toward Grey, placing a hand on his cheek. 'You must awaken now', they spoke together, two voices as one. The Grey Aura leaned in and kissed Grey.

In a hospital, in the real world, a sleeping person opened his eyes. He had been sleeping so deeply that he could not see, hear, or feel the outside. The young man ripped off his breathing mask and jumped from his bed, rushing over to the other bedside. He spoke her name. The young lady, who was sleeping, slowly opened her eyes. She smiled, and he returned the favor. He spoke,'I... love you'.

Within the game, Dawn was no longer there in Einbroch. For, there was no Einbroch, and there never had been.

Zea warped in to the churchyard, where she saw her allys fighting a terrible monster. It seemed she had lost track of time after being Data Drained but when she woke up in front of her computer, she knew she had to return to the game. She rushed into the battle.

Adria's voice echoed off the walls of the church. Her army encircled Seen. 'Seen', she spoke,'I have no use for you now'. 'No...', said Seen,'please... no'. 'I am sorry', spoke Adria.

Kirere's power was too much. Zea had one last option. She clutched her necklace, and, using the Drain Soul, Kirere became a simple novice. The novice got on her knees and began to cry. 'I'm sorry', she said,'so sorry...I never meant for it to be like this'. And she faded away.

'Guardian!', cried Seen, desperately, as the group of players closed in on her. Guardian became suddenly pixellated, and began to break off into tiny data fragments. 'NO! WAIT!', cried Seen. But it was too late. Guardian was gone, this time for good. From behind, a player held his katars to Seen's throat. Another player, this one with a staff, swung it at Seen, knocking off her mask and causing it to fall to the ground and shatter. There was now also a deep cut in Seen's cheek, and she bled. Real blood. What was happening?

Two more players warped into the churchyard. These players were Grey and Dawn.

The chosen few forced their way into the church. They saw what was happening. Cried Netis,'Stop! We are the ones you want! Leave that player alone!'. The player who had been holding Seen dropped her and turned toward the few, glaring at them. The rest of the army did the same.

There was a great battle that day. The chosen few fought hard, but all failed. Even Zea's Drain Soul did little good. And in the last few minutes, when all hope seemed lost, a new character appeared. This player resembled a cat, half black, half white, and with a pair of angel's wings. It smiled down upon the players, and in its hand appeared a piece of grass, surrounded in sparkling blue energy. And it waved this piece of grass over Adria's army, surrounding them in the blue light. Suddenly, all the darkness and hate was gone from these players. And they were not players at all, but simple AIDAs, data fragments that Adria had hurriedly put together from lost memories. But now, they were only that, memories. And as memories, they decided to lose themselves once more. All of them vanished from existance. In a sense, the battle was won. But, Adria was not quite finished yet.

Seen stared out upon the Fake that was this game. Or what remained of this game. For there was nothing left, everything was corrupted and lost. Adria had won. But had she truly won, by destroying this game for good? The other players approached Seen. 'Not all is lost', spoke Aures,'it is only a game, and from what is left, we can start anew'. But Seen did not want to start all over. She did not want to play ever again.

The Grey Aura appeared to the few at Prontera. 'I am sorry', she spoke,'there is nothing I can do for this game. You may logout now'. 


	20. Segment 20: Logout

Three years later...

The girl whom had once been the player Seen tapped her pencil on the desk and stared at the ceiling. Since the Ragnarok incident three years ago, she had met up with everyone in the real world. It turned out that most of them lived quite near her, and Aures in particular had become her best friend. At first, she had shyed away from everyone but now she was more outgoing. She focused more on her life and studies rather than play games. She hadn't even been near a computer as much as she could help it. But she couldn't help wondering what happened to the AIDAs on the game, or even the game itself. Someone grabbed her by the shoulders. 'Hey girl', said Aures,'what's wrong?' 'Nothing...', said Seen. 'Oh ok. Want to come to my house after school?', asked Aures. 'Sure', replied Seen.

At Aures' house, Lelu greeted them. Lelu, as it had turned out, was Aures' younger sister. 'Hey Seen', said Lelu,'I got this new game today, wanna see?' 'Um... I'm not sure', said Seen. 'Go on', said Aures, smiling. 'I guess', Seen said quietly,'what kind of game is it?' 'It's a RPG', said Lelu. Seen didn't like the sound of that. Lelu held up the case. 'GU', it said. Lelu slipped the disk into her computer. A static screen popped up. And they saw a familiar face, smiling yet sad. It was the Grey Aura. She waved at them, and spoke,'Welcome, to The World'. 


End file.
